'Breaking Bad' is burning down the house

Just five episodes remain in its final season, and "Breaking Bad" is still stepping on the gas. Literally so in the case of Jesse Pinkman, who's finally channeling his anguish and rage at someone besides himself. (And the U.S. Treasury.)

So what led him to douse Mr. White's house with gasoline?

Where there's smoke, there's fireUnsurprisingly, Jesse didn't accept Hank's bait to rat on Mr. White even when DEA boss Schrader privately shared that he knew his brother-in-law was Heisenberg. Better call Saul! The weaselly attorney got his client released tout de suite on account of Hank's historical beatdown. After an ominous middle-of-nowhere meeting with Walt ("Jesus," grumbled Saul, "it's always a desert"), Jesse agreed to start a new life (anywhere but "Belize"). Or as Walt put it as he sobbed in his arms, "hit the reset button."

In yet another sign that lady luck has really turned her back on former fake gambler Walt — and with the inadvertent help of bodyguard Huell — Jesse found an incriminating pack of cigarettes in his pocket and realized that Mr. White had poisoned Brock. Instead of hitching a ride to a happy future (or something), Jesse punched the truth out of Saul and began his christening of the Whites' house. The flash-forwards reveal that it hasn't burned to the ground, so presumably Walt stops him from torching the place (with a lit cigarette, mayhaps?).

Say my (brother's) nameAnyone who watches "Homeland" must have shuddered when Skyler turned on the video camera and Walt began, "My name is Walter Hartwell White. This is my confession." Um, try accusation — of Hank. In disturbing detail, Walt recounted all of his crimes, beginning with his cancer diagnosis and foray into the meth business to financially support his family. Except he painted Hank as the mastermind who used his influence in the DEA to build a drug empire under the guise of Heisenberg — with Walt as his unwilling accomplice. It's preposterous, of course (and not just because that sketch looks nothing like Hank), but Walt's feigned fear, cowardice and waterworks were just convincing enough to silence the Schraders.

"He killed me," Hank whispered to Marie. "That's the last nail in the coffin." Hmmm. Somehow, we don't see Marie shopping for a purple casket anytime soon.

Grand slamWith Walt's crystal-blue castle in ruins, Todd is busy building a palace of his own. Outside a diner — much like the one where Walt will celebrate his 52nd birthday — Todd made a courtesy to his old boss. His message, oblique but incomparable to Saul's "Get Smart"-worthy vacuum cleaner code, is worth quoting for its chilling simplicity:

"I know you're probably busy with retirement ..." (!!!) but "me and Declan had some differences of opinion. It got a little messy ... just heads up there's been a kind of change in management."

And with that, he, Kenny and Uncle Jack said vamonos to the Land of Enchantment, driving off in a tanker. Where are they headed? New Hampshire? Belize?

Potent quotables"Luckily, he's a skinny little guy." — Todd on Jesse saving himself under a moving train, a hilarious heist anecdote (when you skip the little detail about shooting a kid).

"I look at that and say what the hell happened to our country?" — Todd's uncle Jack about seeing an ashtray in older planes.